PM appoints Shin Bet deputy as acting chief, AG signs off on one-month tenure

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appointed the deputy Shin Bet chief, known as the Hebrew initials Shin, to serve as acting head of the domestic security agency for a one-month period, or until the appointment process for Netanyahu’s candidate for the permanent position is completed, the Prime Minister’s Office announced on Thursday.

Despite having previously determined that Netanyahu has a conflict of interest in appointing a new Shin Bet chief, including an acting chief, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara nevertheless approved the appointment of Shin for a one-month period since, she said, it was of crucial importance to Israeli security that the position be filled.

Shin will take office on Sunday when outgoing chief Ronen Bar steps down.

The Prime Minister’s Office said that during Shin’s tenure as acting head, efforts will be made to complete the appointment process for Maj. Gen. David Zini, who Netanyahu nominated last month to head the Shin Bet.

Bar was fired by the government in March in highly controversial circumstances, and the High Court froze his dismissal while it adjudicated petitions that alleged that his firing was tainted by severe procedural failures and motivated by Netanyahu’s personal and political expediencies, including criminal investigations being conducted by the Shin Bet into the prime minister’s close aides.

Bar subsequently announced he would step down on June 15, after which the High Court ruled that his dismissal had been unlawful, and that Netanyahu had a conflict of interest in firing Bar due to the criminal investigations, though it declined to issue operative orders due to Bar’s decision to resign.

Maj. Gen. David Zini visits families of fallen Israeli soldiers during Memorial Day at Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem on April 30, 2025 (Arie Leib Abrams/Flash90)

Baharav-Miara immediately told Netanyahu that resulting from the court ruling, he had a conflict of interest in appointing a new Shin Bet chief, including an acting chief, but Netanyahu nevertheless nominated Zini to replace Bar.

The attorney general subsequently told Netanyahu that his nomination of Zini was “invalid and unlawful,” adding that it was doubtful that he will be able to take up the position.

“Because the process of appointing Maj. Gen. Zini as head of the Shin Bet will take several weeks, and in order to prevent a vacuum in the position, the prime minister assigned Deputy Shin Bet Chief Shin to fill Ronen Bar’s position for a period of one month, or until the process of appointing Maj. Gen. Zini is completed, whichever comes first,” the Prime Minister’s Office stated.

Writing to acting Civil Service commissioner Daniel Hershkowitz on Thursday, Deputy Attorney General Gil Limon said, “The attorney general believes that under the circumstances, and especially in light of the essential consideration of preventing harm to state security, the position can be assigned to the proposed candidate, as requested, for a period of one month,”  wrote.

Limon noted that the attorney general has instructed Netanyahu to delegate his authority to nominate a Shin Bet chief to another cabinet minister in order to appoint a permanent head of the agency, but that he has so far failed to do so.

He said that Netanyahu must delegate this authority during Shin’s tenure as acting chief “so that this [minister] will act without delay to make a permanent appointment to the position of Shin Bet head.”

The Movement for Quality Government in Israel, one of the primary petitioners against Bar’s dismissal, protested Netanyahu’s appointment of Shin, saying that the High Court decision regarding Netanyahu’s conflict of interest meant he could not make the appointment.

The organization filed an urgent petition to the High Court on Wednesday demanding that Bar be kept in place while a replacement was found.

That petition will likely be dismissed due to the attorney general’s approval of Shin’s appointment.